Entering the 2025 season, the Chicago Bears were comfortable with Cairo Santos returning to the fold as the team's kicker for the sixth straight season. After a pair of slip-ups in Week 1, however, Jake Moody was signed to the team's practice squad to push the veteran.
While some fans and pundits thought that was a sign that Santos' days in the Windy City could be numbered, special teams coordinator Richard Hightower painted a much different picture when discussing the two kickers and why Moody was signed to the practice squad after being released by the San Francisco 49ers.
Bears K Cairo Santos' Job Is Safe for Now After Comments on Moody
In the eyes of Hightower, the former Niners third-round pick is a developmental prospect for the Bears. To use that specific wording when referencing the team's decision to add Moody to the practice squad is an indirect way of saying the job belongs to Santos until he proves he cannot handle the duties any longer.
“He’s a young, developmental player that’s on our practice squad,” Hightower said of Moody, via Chris Emma of 670TheScore.com. “And that’s what he brings right now – nothing more."
Unless this is the ultimate form of coachspeak, which cannot be ruled out, Moody doesn't appear to be any closer to being elevated to the active roster than he was on the day that he signed with Chicago. When you consider the issues Moody dealt with in San Francisco before his release, having the opportunity to hit the reset button and get back to the basics could be the best thing for him in the long run.
The NFL is a what have you done for me lately type of league. This is no revelation for fans who have followed the sport for any amount of time. Despite being a reliable option during this stint with the Bears, Santos only converted on 84% of his attempts this past season and is off to a 50% start to the 2025 campaign.
This could all change very quickly if Santos continues to underperform. For the time being, however, the Bears have tipped their hand with their plan at the kicker position following Hightower's comments on Thursday.